Albert ball



(No Model.)

A. BALL. DIRECT AG'IING ENGINE.

No. 603,358. PaIteIItedMay 8,1898.-

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PATENTl i OEEICE.

ALBERT BALL, CLAREMONT, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO THE SULLIVAN MACHINERY COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE AND CHICAGO ILLINOIS.

loll'ECT-Aorlrac ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 603,358, dated May 3,v 1898.

Application led September 23, 1897. Serial No. 652,685. (No model.) i

T LtZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT BALL, a resident of Claremont, in the county of Sullivan and State of New Hampshire, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Direct- Acting Engines; and I do hereby declare the following -to be a full,'clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to a direct-acting engine suchas isparticularly applicable to that class of coal or rock cutting machines in which a reciprocating cutter-bar isv employed which is constructed to strike the coal and cut the same. These machines be'- ing constructed on the principle lof a directacting engine, when the cutter-bar fails to strike the coal, such as when the machine is being adjusted to its work or being shifted on the runner-board while the machine is in motion, the tendency is to increase the number of blows or strokes of the cutter-bar.

Y The reciprocating undercutting-machines strike a very hard blow, and if the pick happens to miss the coal for any reason the jar or shock on the operator is very severe, and more especially so when the machine increases its number of' blows per minute, as it will do when not striking the coal and when there isnothing -to regulate or control its speed. It is'now the general custom in this class-of machines to cushion the blow of the piston when the pick fails toV strike the coal late and control the movement of the piston.

when the ymachine is not doing any work and so relieve the wear and tear on the machine as Well as the strain on'the operator.

To these ends my invention comprises, generally stated, a cylinder`with a piston therein, suitable ports; and valvesL controlling same for causing the reciprocation of said piston, anauXiliary valve controlling the admission of air or steam to one end of said cylinder,

and means for regulating the movement of said valve by the cushioned air, whereby the said air holds said valve to its seat, and means for gradually reducing thel pressure of said cushioned air on said valve. i

ln the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of Y an engine with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail of the check-valve.

Fig. 3 is a modified form of my invention. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the auxiliary valve and its stem.

While I will describe my invention with reference to its use in connection With that class of coal-cutting machines hereinbefore referred to, yet I do not Wish to limit its use to this particular machine, as'there may be other machines to which it may be found applicable.

The letter CZ designates a portion of a suitable cylinder, and b the piston adapted to reciprocate therein. The piston-rod c passes out through the front head CZ, provided with a suitable stuffing-box. Where the invention is to be applied to a coal-cutting machine, the piston-rod Will carry the pick at its outer end, by means of which the cutting is done. The air or steam chest e is secured to the cylinder, a, and said chest contains the main slide-valve f, which controls the inlet and outlet of air to the front end of cylinder. As only the front end of cylinder is shown, the letter h designates the inlet-port, and e' and t" the exhaust-ports. j

Located in the inlet-port h is the checkvalve lo, provided with the stem Z. v Thecheckvalve Za rests on the valve-seat Zo'. A cup m, of leather or other suitablematerial, is interposed between the valve k and the head Z of the stem Z. The stemZ passes up within a chamber n, formed in the nut o, which is threaded into the cylinder a. This nut o has a cap r threaded into it, said cap having a guideway r therein'to receive the upper end of the stem Z. A spring s is interposed between the cap r and the head Z of the stem Z for the purpose of closing the check-valve more quickly and to overcome the friction of the leather cup 'm on the walls of the chamber above the said valve.

A port t is formed in the check-valve 7c, said IOO port extending up through the stem Z, as l clearlyindieated in dotted lines, Fig. 2. The l upper end of the port i is reduced in size, so as to form a contracted openingt', which will tend to retard the escape of the air from the chamber a.

The cap r is notched, as at r2, to permit the air passing up through the stem I to enter the chamber n.

Then my invention is applied to a coalcutting machine, its operation is as follows: Under ordinary circumstances in cutting coal with such a machine the pick at the forward end of the piston-rod strikes the coal. As long as the pick continues to strike the coal no compression of the air takes place in the front end of cylinder and live air passes freely under the check-valve 7c and through the port 7L to operate the piston. Vhen, however, the pick fails to strike the coal for any reason, the compression of the air takes place at the front end'of cylinder. IIighly-eompressed air then passes through the port in the valve 7U' and stem t, said air entering through the contracted opening Z into the chamber n. At the same time a certain amount of air finds its way into the chamber n by its being forced around the cup m. The effect of the air in the chamber a under heavy pressure is to hold the check-valve 7c closely to its seat and prevent the ilow of live air through the port h to the front end of cylinder. Just as soon as the pressure of the air in the front end of cylinder begins to decrease, as it does the moment the piston starts on its backward stroke, thcair confined within the chamber n begins to escape therefrom. Owing, however, to the size of the contracted opening t', leading to the port i, the escape of the air is slow and gradual. It is of course apparent that the size of this opening t regulates the rapidity with which the air escapes and that the reduction in the speed of the piston is dependent on the size of this opening. Until the pressure in the chamber a decreases below that of the live air in the port 7L the check-valve 7o will remain closedV and the live air will be prevented from acting to force the piston back on its backward stroke.

It is to be noted that while air can be forced up around the cup m into the chamber a, yet the air from said chamber cannot escape around said cup, as the pressure of air in said chamber will cause said cup to hug the walls of the chamber and form a tight joint.

J ust as soon as the air-pressure in the chamber n has fallen below that of the live-air pressure the live air will lift the check-valve and act on the piston.

It is apparent from the above that when the pick fails to strike the coal the speed of the piston is reduced at once, so that if the machine is running normally at, for instance, two hundred strokes per minute if the pick failed to strike the coal the speed can be maintained at two hundred strokes or instantly reduced to sixty strokes, according to the rapidity with which the air is permitted to escape from the chamber a. Thisreduc tion in the speed of the piston when the pick is not striking the coal greatly reduces the labor of handling the machine, as it may be adjusted to its work when in motion or may be shifted on the runners board without jarring the operator severely. Besides this there is a saving in air, and the wear and tear on the machine are greatly reduced.

In Fig. 3 I have illustrated a modified form of my invention. The parts are in this case indicated by numerals. The numeral t designates the nut adapted to be threaded into the cylinder; 5, the cap; 0, the chamber; 7, the recess formed in said cap for the reception of the retaining-valve S, which has the stem 9 and the spring 10 encircling same. This retaining-valve S closes the opening 10 at the upper end of the stem 11 of the checkvalve 12. This check-valve 12 has a port 13, which extends through its stem. A small opening 11 is also formed in the stem, bringing the port 13 always into communication with the chamber G. A spring 15 eneireles the stem 1l. A cup 1G is interposed between the valve 1:2 and the head 17 on said stem. In the operation of this modified form, when the pick fails to strike the coal, the air, in the same manner as before described, is compressed at the front end of cylinder and passes by the port 13 into the chamber G. The retaining-valve is raised so as to allow the air to pass by the opening 1.0,into said chamber. A portion of the air also iinds its way by the opening 14 into said chamber. In the same manner as before described just as soon as the pressure at the front end of the cylinder begins to decrease on thc back stroke of the piston the retaining-valve 8 closes, and the only means of escape for the air held under pressure within the chamber (i is through the opening 14. The rapidity with which the air escapes from the chamber G, as before, regulates the time when the valve 12 will open to permit live air to pass to the front end of cylinder.

The retaining-valve 8 holds the air within the chamber and may be employed where a large amount of air is required in the chamber to reduce the speed.

lVhile I have described myinvention where air is employed as a motive power, yet steam or other motive power may be employed.

I do not wish to limit myself to the invention as illustrated, but wish to include within its scope such changes and variations as may be made without departing from the spirit of said invention.

lVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a direct-acting engine, the combination with a cylinder having inlet and exhaust ports, of a main valve controlling same, a piston working in said cylinder, an auxiliary valve located so as to control the ini'lowing IOO IIO

air to the front end of said cylinder, and means for regulating the movement of said auxiliary valve by the cushioned air, substantially as set forth.

2. In a direct-acting engine, the combination with a cylinder having inlet and exhaust ports, of a main'valve controlling same, a piston working in said cylinder', an auxiliary valve located so as to control Athe iniowing air tothe front end of said cylinder, said auxiliary valve having an airfchamber back of same, and said chamber communicating with said cylinder, substantially as set forth.

3. In a direct-acting engine, the combination with a cylinder having inlet and exhaust ports, of a main valve controlling same, a piston working in said cylinder, an auxiliary valve located so as to control the inflowing air to the front end of said cylinder, said auxiliary valve having an air-chamber back of same, said' chamber communicating with said cylinder, and means for reducing the pressure in said chamber, substantially as set forth.

4. In a'direct-acting engine, the combination with a cylinder and apiston working therein, of a check-valve controlling the inl let-port of said cylinder, said valve having an air-chamber back of same, said checkvalve having a port forming communication between said cylinder and said chamber, substantially as set forth.

5. In a direct-acting engine, the combination with a cylinder and a piston working therein, of .a check-valve controlling the inlet-port of said cylinder, said valve having an air-chamber back of'same, said checkvalve having a port forming communication between said cylinder and said'chamber, and said port having a contracted opening, substantially as set forth.

6. In a direct-acting engine, the combination with a cylinder and a piston Working therein, of a check-valve controlling the inlet-port of said cylinder, said valve having an air-chamber back of same, a stem, said valve having a port formed therein and in the stem, said port forming communication between said cylinder and chamber, substantially as set forth.

7. In a direct-acting engine, the combination with a cylinder and a lpiston working therein, of a check-valve controlling the inlet-port of said cylinder, said valve having an air-chamber back of same, said chamber communicating with said cylinder, and a packing-cup on said valve engaging the walls of said chamber, substantially as set forth.

8. In a direct-acting engine, the combination with a cylinder and a piston working therein, of a check-valve controlling the inlet-port of said cylinder, said valve having an air-chamber back of same, said chamber communicating with said cylinder, and a packing-cup inserted between said valve and a head on the stem thereof and engaging the walls of said chamber, substantially'as set forth.

In testimony whereof I, the said ALBERT BALL, have hereunto set my hand.

ALBERT BALL.

Witnesses:

FRANK A. BALL, H. H. MERCER. 

